Bunbury product Jayden Goodwin makes gritty 36 in first innings of WA’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria

Bunbury product Jayden Goodwin stood tall with a gritty 36 from 132 deliveries in the first innings of WA’s ongoing Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria at the WACA Ground. In difficult batting conditions which saw 20 wickets fall for only 383 runs across the first innings of both sides, Goodwin played an important anchor role, soaking up the most deliveries of any WA batter before edging a David Moody ball to wicket-keeper Peter Handscomb. The team’s other Bunbury-raised batter and captain Sam Whiteman was dismissed without scoring for the first time this year after being caught behind off the bowling of Will Sutherland in the final over of the first day. At lunch on the third day of the clash, the visitors were 1-125, holding a 136-run lead. WA came into the final round of the season sitting fourth on the table with their hopes of making the final for the fourth consecutive season dependent on other results but they have broken their way so far. Second-placed Queensland and third-placed New South Wales were well behind in their respective clashes with South Australia and Tasmania at time of publication, with WA needing the pair to either lose or draw while winning themselves to have any chance of finishing inside the top two. Dunsborough’s Lance Morris was rested from the game under his Cricket Australia-managed workload plan with the hope of being available for the final, should WA make it.